Chairman Dush, Senate State Government Committee vote to confirm Al Schmidt as Secretary of the Commonwealth

Advances Bill to Improve Commonwealth’s Ability to Identify, Remove Ineligible Voters

HARRISBURG – Fulfilling the constitutional responsibility of fully vetting executive branch nominees, today, Chairman Cris Dush (R-25) and members of the PA Senate State Government Committee voted by a near unanimous, bipartisan margin of 10-1 to confirm Al Schmidt as Secretary of the Commonwealth.

“Today’s voting meeting is about securing future elections, not disputing the past,” said Chairman Dush. “Mr. Secretary, at the conclusion of the last hearing, you asked this committee to consider your own credentials and trustworthiness when voting, rather than hold you accountable for the actions of prior administrations. That’s a fair request. However, I want to point out that in this position you will inherit all the problems of the past, and under your watch will be assuming accountability and responsibility to try and fix them.”

Dush, a prominent voice for reforming and modernizing Pennsylvania’s election code by restoring integrity, trust and transparency, again received affirmative answers from Schmidt on needed legislation, he has introduced or supported in the Senate, such as bolstering the security of mail-in ballots and establishing regular inspections for PA voting machines.